The jack with an optional pivoting foot relates to towed trailers in general and more specifically to the jack beneath the tongue of a trailer. A unique aspect of the present invention is an optional pivoting foot connected to the jack that rotates beneath the existing foot of the jack to change the jack from wheeled to a flat foot and vice versa. The optional flat foot embodiment increases the footprint of a wheeled trailer jack, prevents rolling, and reduces embedment of the wheel in soft soils or warm asphalt. The optional wheeled foot embodiment allows movement of the jack upon a surface while supporting the tongue load.
People enjoy the water and activities upon and adjacent to water. Many activities involve watercraft to take people upon the water. In the absence of a mooring facility, dock, or the like, an owner transports a boat from storage to a water body. Generally, boaters transport boats upon trailers towed by vehicles. A trailer has a frame to support the boat hull, a chassis to support the frame, an axle beneath the chassis for wheels to contact a road, and a tongue at the head of the chassis to connect with a vehicle. The tongue has one member, or two members that intersect at a point, to serve as the hitch. To support the tongue during hitching and unhitching to a vehicle, trailers have a jack.
The jack sits rearward of the tongue upon one or more members. The jack descends from the members towards the ground. Geared cranks, hydraulic cylinders, levers, and the like extend the jack to raise the chassis of the trailer and retract the jack to lower the chassis. Opposite the members, a jack has a wheel or a flat foot.
Boats also enter storage in many locations and display at dealers. On flat surfaces, warehouses, and dealership showrooms, owners and dealers secure trailers with wheel chocks on the rear axle and the wheeled jack. Chocks become misplaced or forgotten by dealership staff which raises the likelihood of a trailer—equipped with only a wheeled jack—rolling or other mishap.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art. That is, the art of the present invention, a jack with an optional pivoting foot, provides a jack with an exchangeable wheeled foot and a flat foot. A trailer owner, boater, or worker may choose the appropriate foot for the situation at hand. The boater need not dwell upon whether he brought the correct jack. Trailer owners with a wheeled jack may overlook and misplace a chock from time to time. While trailer owners with a flat footed jack cannot readily move the trailer tongue without lifting. The present invention reduces the need for separate wheel chocks and provides trailer owners the choice of wheeled or flat foot as an option for their jacks beneath the trailer tongue.
The difficulty in providing a jack with an optional pivoting foot is shown by a typical jack. A jack has either a wheel or a flat foot in contact with the ground. The jack supports the tongue during hitching and prevents the tongue from digging into the ground. A wheeled jack permits movement of the tongue as the trailer moves. The flat foot fixes the jack location for a secure and non-movable trailer. At present, a jack has either a wheel or a flat foot to support the tongue but not both. A trailer owner using the present invention can choose either the wheeled or flat foot for the jack to provide the appropriate foot upon the jack given the situation, pavement, or location.